By now many people have seen Donald Trump’s mocking imitation of The New York Times reporter who suffers from a disabling ailment that prevents him from using his arms fully and who asked Trump a question that offended him. Trump’s performance reminded me of a scene from Bernardo Bertolucci’s great film “1900,” which tells the history […]
Archives for 2016
Garrison and the 2016 Election
A friend recently called my attention to an article by William Lloyd Garrison, “On the Constitution and the Union,” in The Liberator, Dec. 29, 1832. Here is the link: http://fair-use.org/the-liberator/1832/12/29/on-the-constitution-and-the-union Garrison made several points: He called the Constitution “the most bloody and heaven-daring arrangement ever made by men for the continuance and protection […]
A Carnival of Inclusion
The Democratic National Convention was a carnival of inclusion: black, white, gay, straight, Christians, Jews, Muslims, cis-gendered and transgendered—all joined in proclaiming that “nothing can be wrong if it keeps our country strong” (with the implied corollary that the U.S. is “our” country). Its high point was Khizr Khan’s speech about his son, Humayun, who […]
Thoughts on Dallas and Baton Rouge
By James Murray The American liberal-left have almost universally condemned the recent martyrdom operations (I don’t know what else to call them) that occurred in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Such actions set back ‘the movement,’ we have been told. They occurred outside any mass base and without orders from any central committee, and are therefore […]
“Subgroups”: A dangerous premise
The most dangerous aspect of Rep. Steven King’s claim that Europeans have contributed more of value to world civilization than other “subgroups” is his view that “subgroups” exist over extended periods. Even among those denouncing him, few question his faulty premise. Cultures are not products of separate regions sealed off from one another. The Upper […]
Smash up the Mess!
Now that Sanders has capitulated (as many predicted he would), we are going to see new and interesting lines drawn. Perhaps the time has come to bring back Voltaire’s slogan, “Ecrasez l’infame!” (Smash up the Mess!)